EP.28, Dennis Mannion: The Battle of Khe Sanh

The Battle of Khe Sanh began on January 21, 1968, when forces from the People’s Army of North Vietnam carried out a massive artillery bombardment and infantry attack on the U.S. Marine combat base at Khe Sanh, located in the northwest of South Vietnam near the Laotian border. For the next 77 days the Marines fought off an intense siege in one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War as the base and the surrounding hill outposts were bombarded with constant artillery and infantry attacks. Dennis Mannion served on Hill 861 as an Artillery Forward Observer during that battle, calling in crucial artillery fire missions to counter the enemy attacks. On this episode Dennis shares his experience in the Vietnam War from more than 50 years ago and how it forever changed him.